


Fledgling Cranes

by SatuD2



Series: PintSized Prompts 2017 [2]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, Murder, Origin Story, Pint Sized Prompt, Prompt Fic, Telepathy, Toddler!Tien
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-21 08:25:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 9,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9539654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SatuD2/pseuds/SatuD2
Summary: Chiaotzu has been living under the thumb of the evil Crane Hermit, Master Shen, for as long as he can remember. The only bright part of his life is spending time with the little triclops who shares his room. But Shen has eyes on the boy and the vast potential he holds.Based on the Pint-Sized Prompts run through the r/FanFiction subreddit by the ever marvellous and wonderful u/Atojiso.February - Love and War





	1. Joy

**Author's Note:**

> February 1st: Joy - Let's start off with a dramatic moment: Your characters are celebrating a victorious battle!
> 
> I am not sticking to the word limits here. Well, not stringently. This, for example, was 100 words, but I've got 200 here. If it's longer I may go longer. If it's shorter I may go shorter. The chapter lengths are gonna be super variable is what I'm saying :D
> 
> Also I do not know all the prompts ahead of time so I have no idea where this story is going to go! Come on a wild ride with me to find out over the month of Feb :D
> 
> Huge thank you to DeeJayMil for helping me out with Toddler!Tien. I'm not super familiar with writing toddlers and she's, as always, super helpful and wonderful. <3

Chiaotzu kept his face carefully blank, his mouth flat and his eyes distant. Master Shen was sitting beside him, his mouth twisted in a cruel smirk. Tucked into a bundle of cloth wrapped tight around the Crane Hermit’s chest was a large sum of Zenii.

He had won another tournament. He had managed without brutalising the other fighters too badly, but had been forced to break the other finalist’s ankle to avoid Shen’s wrath.

They arrived back at the Crane School. Shen went to his room to put away the winnings, leaving Chiaotzu to head back to his room.

He kept up his blank façade until the door to his room was shut. Then his lips turned down at the corners, his forehead leaning on the wood. The crack of the man’s ankle still rang in his ears, making his head hurt.

Then a small hand gripped the back of his surcoat, twisting in the thick material.

“Chaozu here! Chaozu won?”

A small but genuine smile spread over Chiaotzu’s face. He turned and lifted the triclops into his arms. The toddler giggled as the telepath hugged him close and leaned his cheek on the boy’s head.

“Yes, Tien. I won…”


	2. Blush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 2nd: Blush - Sparkling eyes peek through the door. Character blushes at the attention. And then...?

Tien squirmed out of Chiaotzu’s arms, landing awkwardly on the floor and then grabbing his brother’s hand.

“Chaozu, look. Look!”

Chiaotzu smiled and allowed himself to be pulled towards the bed. Tien fell to his knees, pulling Chiaotzu down with him, then started hunting under the bed. Chiaotzu’s smile faded slightly as soon as the triclops was no longer looking at him. His stomach still felt a little queasy from the long journey and the tournament, and he could only keep a happy face on for so long.

Tien finally pulled back with a huge book in his hands. He leaned back on his heels and grinned, then started flipping through pages.

“Look! Shen!” He tapped one hand on the open page in front of him. A crude stick figure of the Crane Hermit was scribbled there, wearing an exaggerated frown that ran right off the edges of his face.

“ _Master_ Shen,” Chiaotzu corrected automatically.

“Ma Shen…” Tien looked uncertainly at Chiaotzu. “Ma Shen?”

Chiaotzu nodded, smiled encouragingly. “That looks really good, Tien. You’ve been drawing, huh?”

“Uh-huh.” Tien nodded. Almost lost his balance. Grabbed Chiaotzu’s arm to keep upright. Chiaotzu put his hand over the toddler’s.

“What else have you been drawing?”

“Chaozu,” Tien said, and flipped a few more pages. There was a rough outline of Chiaotzu, red cheeks and eyes so big they almost filled his face. His portrait was not smiling, it was totally blank. The eyes seemed to sear into Chiaotzu’s mind and he felt a cold thrill run up his back.

“Very good, Tien,” he said gently. “Any others?”

Tien nodded again. Flipped another page. There was a picture of the two of them. Tien’s third eye was huge now, taking up the whole of the top of his head, the rest of his face drawn in shaky uncertain lines as the triclops had tried to fit it all in. As it was the huge smile ran down over his stick-figure neck and up over his ears. Chiaotzu’s eyes were a more normal size and he too had a smile that had taken over his cheeks and ears. Their stick arms were entwined, looping back and forth in a helix that crossed over five or six times.

“This is very good!” Chiaotzu put one arm around Tien’s shoulder, jostling him slightly. “You’re a good artist.”

“Arts!” Tien agreed, smiling. “Chaozu arts?”

“No, Tien. I’m not an artist.”

“Chaozu fight,” Tien said grimly. His smile flattened. Chiaotzu felt blood rise in his cheeks and heat the tips of his ears. “Chaozu win.”

Despite the flush of shame and embarrassment he pulled Tien closer to his side. “Show me some more of your drawings, okay?”

The boy brightened and started flipping through the pages again. None of the other drawings were as recognisable as his drawings of people but there was promise there. And Chiaotzu smiled and encouraged and made the appropriate noises of delight, trying to ignore the blush that still coloured his white cheeks.


	3. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 3rd: Fear - Our heroes receive a warning about the enemy's latest battle plans.
> 
> How sad that Shen is their enemy :(

Chiaotzu smiled as Tien jumped into his little cot, pulled the thin blanket up to his chin and flopped dramatically back onto the pillow. The telepath hummed quietly, a soothing lullaby, as he straightened the blanket and tucked it up around the boy’s shoulders.

“Chaozu stay,” Tien said. He pulled one arm free of the blanket and caught Chiaotzu’s hand. “Sleep. Stay.”

“I'm sorry, Tien. Master Shen has asked to see me.” Chiaotzu squeezed Tien’s hand, trying to reassure through the simple motion. “I might be gone a while but…hopefully I'll be back by morning.”

“Chaozu win,” Tien said solemnly.

“Yes, I'll win. I'll always come back to you. I promise.” Chiaotzu smiled and retucked Tien’s arm under the blanket. The boy stared up at him with three sleepy but concerned eyes.

“Love you,” he said, his voice earnest, and Chiaotzu’s eyes prickled with unexpected tears.

Chiaotzu bent and gently kissed the toddler’s cheek. “Try to get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up.”

Tien’s eyes slid closed and Chiaotzu quietly slipped from the room. As he walked towards Shen’s quarters he worked on hiding his emotions. This was an assignment. Nothing more. Never mind that Tien’s simple acceptance and uncomplicated love had burrowed into the telepath’s soul and lit a small flame of affection that he hadn't felt for a long time. It was frightened but wonderful and he had to keep it hidden from their master.

As he approached Shen’s room he heard low, cold voices conversing softly, making his ears prick up despite the gut reaction that told him to announce his presence, to stop eavesdropping.

“What makes you think the boy has so much potential?”

Shen’s younger brother, Tao Pai Pai, sounded frustrated and his tone was dropping by degrees with each word.

“There's something there, Tao. With the two of them. I’ll make the telepath teach the boy telepathy and the pair of them will be unstoppable.”

Chiaotzu shuddered, his eyes widening. The pair of them? Him and Tien? What could they possibly see in a toddler who could barely write his own name?

The door opened. Tao exited, ignoring Chiaotzu as he fiddled with his braid. The telepath remained huddled close to the wall for a prolonged moment, then approached the door and knocked.

“Ah, Chiaotzu, please come in.” Shen was standing by the window, looking out at the full moon. “How is Tienshinhan doing?”

“He’s doing well, Master,” Chiaotzu said awkwardly. “He’s...he’s only small. He is small and still learning how to talk and write and walk…” Underlying his words was a subtle prayer, the plea of _please don't do this, please spare this boy_. Of _please don't make me do this._

Shen smiled, a slow sly grin that made Chiaotzu’s skin flush with fear. “Excellent. You’ve been doing well. I want you to start teaching him telepathy.”

“Master, he’s so young, I don't know if his mind could handle it.” Seeing the smile start to twist, Chiaotzu quickly dipped in a bow. “I...I’ll try, Master.”

“Good. Dismissed.”

Shen turned his back. Chiaotzu left, his mouth pulling down at the corners and his stomach roiling with fear. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to infiltrate the boy’s mind and make it malleable to Shen’s manipulation. But if he didn't then Shen would, and that would be much worse for the young triclops.

Their room was silent. Tien was breathing in soft whispering snores, curled up on his side with his hands folded before his face and his knees drawn up close to his chin. Chiaotzu looked at him for a long moment, watching the boy sleep peacefully, then as gently as he could slipped into the cot beside him, leaving his own bed empty.

Tien grumbled quietly in his sleep, then rolled over and nestled closer as Chiaotzu gingerly wrapped his arms around the toddler’s body. A small sad smile touched Chiaotzu’s lips. He bent and kissed Tien’s smooth forehead just above his closed third eye. Tears stung and he blinked them away, almost angry at the show of emotion.

“I love you too, Tien,” he whispered. “So, so much…”

And he drifted into a shallow, uneasy sleep.


	4. Bravado

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 4th: Bravado - Super Saturday word count - - pay an escalation cost for each add-on.  
> 400 words - The Characters must act quickly! Out the door, down the road, fearlessly onward, they will meet their enemies on the field of battle!  
> \+ 200 words - Some verbal or physical muscle flexing from the troops.  
> \+ 200 words - An inspiring speech.  
> \+ 200 words - Adventure awaits!

“Come on, Tien. I’m going to do some training.”

“Train?”

Chiaotzu smiled as Tien put on a serious face and held his fists out in front of him. It had been a week since Shen had told him to start training the toddler in telepathy. Every time Chiaotzu had started explaining the basics, he had had to stop. Tien’s innocent gaze seared into him, made him uncomfortably aware of how trusting the boy was. This was an inherent betrayal of that trust, a perversion of the boy’s mind, and he didn’t have the stomach to do it.

“Yes, Tien. Master Shen wants us to go out to the mountains. It’s good for us to get some sun on our skin.”

“Chaozu white,” Tien said. His voice was matter-of-fact. When Chiaotzu figured out it had indeed been ‘white’, not ‘right’ as he’d initially thought he stifled a laugh, snorting into the cup of his hand and nodding.

“I don’t think some sun is going to change that, Tien.”

Tien giggled. Their hands linked and Chiaotzu led the boy from the school, helping him keep his balance. The Crane School was based in the mountains overlooking a winding river banked by dense pine forests. Beyond that was farmland, fields of every colour spread in an undulating patchwork quilt. Another mountain range broke up the distant horizon, wearing wispy skirts of thin cloud.

Chiaotzu set Tien up in a small clearing, protected by a copse of trees, and looked out at the view. It was beautiful out here. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t train out here more.

Something niggled in the back of his mind at that and he frowned suddenly, but whatever it had been was quickly gone and he couldn’t catch a hold of it again. He shrugged and looked over at Tien.

“You play, okay, Tien? I’ll be training over here.”

“Play with Ten?”

Chiaotzu crouched, taking the boy’s hands and shaking his head. “No, I need to train.”

“Ten train.”

And that sent that cold spark of fear up Chiaotzu’s spine again. He shook his head again, firmly, and his hands clamped tightly around Tien’s. “No. Just…” A calming breath, a moment to centre himself, his grip loosening. “You just play, okay?”

“Kay.” Tien frowned, but pulled his hands free and started drawing stick figures in the dirt. His face relaxed into a smile as he scribbled the now familiar outline of Chiaotzu.

The telepath turned away, lifted off the ground, crossed his legs. Calm. Collected. He concentrated his mind, his hands moving slowly and carefully as crackling blue energy formed shapes and swirls of power. He was so focused on honing his psychic power that it took a moment for the scream to pierce his concentration.

Terror gripped him. He whirled around, his eyes wide and saw Tien stumbling towards him, screaming and crying. Behind him lumbered a giant purple beast, mostly boar in shape with the branching hard antlers of a deer coupled with tiny, almost ridiculously fragile looking butterfly wings. It was looking about disinterestedly, but its small black eyes glinted as they lighted on Tien.

It snorted, lowered its broad head, and charged directly at the fleeing toddler. Chiaotzu didn’t even think about it. One hand rose. A wave of crackling blue energy appeared under the beast’s chin. With a sharp push Chiaotzu forced the monster away, redirecting it back towards the trees. With his other hand he wrapped a band of power around Tien and swung him up and out of the way.

Tien shrieked. Pain and fear cracked his voice. Chiaotzu glanced up, saw how the boy was struggling in the grip of his power. Regret gnawed at him, hot and deep, but he couldn’t loosen his grip. He needed to concentrate to defeat the beast that was attacking them. With the stress running through him his power was erratic and if he tried to relax his hold now he would drop Tien right back into the monster’s path. 

 _You can do this. Just focus._  

The edges of his power sharpened, became more solid. The beast tossed its head, cast a long look at the crackling walls of energy that now surrounded the small telepath. Another snort, this one low and dismissive, then it turned and disappeared into the forest. They were not worth the effort.

Chiaotzu heaved a sigh of relief. The hot pulse of adrenaline started to fade, leaving him weak and shaking. Tien let out another wail as the bands of power began to loosen and Chiaotzu turned his hand over and pulled the boy to him. Tien clung to him, crying, trembling like a leaf.

“Are you alright? Did I hurt you? I’m sorry, Tien.”

A quick check over confirmed the boy was uninjured, but had a red mark encircling his chest where Chiaotzu’s power had squeezed a little too tightly. Tien willingly lifted his surcoat when prompted though, so clearly wasn’t holding Chiaotzu responsible for the insult. 

“Home,” Tien wailed now, grabbing tight to Chiaotzu’s surcoat and burying his face into it.

Chiaotzu nodded and gently detached the boy’s grip. The sun was almost gone, the other mountain range cutting long shadows in the sinking light. The boy didn’t want to walk alone, so Chiaotzu held him close to his side, keeping him sheltered under one arm, as they made their way back to the Crane School.


	5. Wistful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 5th: Wistful - 100 words - What could have been? Oh, if only they were here now!

Tien sniffled and rubbed his eyes as Chiaotzu herded him into their room. He had cried the whole way back to the Crane School, huddling close beneath Chiaotzu’s arm and occasionally pressing his small, hot face into the telepath’s surcoat.

Now they were home. Safe.

“It’s okay. We’re okay now, huh?”

“Home,” Tien said, nodding. He sat on the hard stone floor, pulled his papers towards him and started to draw again. His hands were still shaking a little, making the lines hesitant and uncertain.

Chiaotzu sat opposite, watching Tien draw with a thin, forced smile on his face. He wished he could comfort the boy more. Better. Could soothe and settle and reassure. His own fear was limiting his emotional connection. In an effort to appear brave he was dampening everything down, so Tien wouldn’t see the fear or the worry or the anger.

 _I wish mumma was here,_ he thought as Tien sketched out a huge hulking shadow behind the smiling interlinked stick figures that were his favourite. _She’d know what to do_.

The thought panged a deep wave of grief and longing in his chest. The image of her gentle smile, of her kind eyes, of her comforting touch as she’d held him close to her. She had been like a lighthouse, in a way. Constant. Reassuring. She had steered him clear of danger and brought him close to the safety of her embrace.

Tien had started filling in the hulking shape and fear had pulled his features out of shape. Chiaotzu reached out one hand and placed it over the drawing.

“Let’s draw something else, okay? I’ll draw with you.” He pulled the paper away, Tien’s pencil leaving a thick dark line through the interconnected squiggles of their arms, and pulled a fresh one over. He grabbed the other pencil (red, why did it have to be red?) and offered a reassuring smile.

Tien relaxed slightly, returned it. He bent and started drawing again. A tree this time, but different to the ones around here. This one didn’t have the straight spine and weighted branches of the conifers. Instead this one had a gnarled knotted trunk with thick naked limbs reaching towards the sky. Perhaps it was Tien’s shaky hand giving the tree its twisted varying path. Maybe it was a hint of psychic energy within the boy’s own power.

All Chiaotzu knew was that it was tree he only saw in his dreams. Only when he dreamt of the woman he had been thinking of and missing so acutely.

“Where’s that, Tien?”

Tien looked up, shrugged. He didn’t know. “Chaozu, draw,” he commanded. A smile pulled at Chiaotzu’s lips and he obediently pulled a bit of paper towards him and began his own scribbled drawing.

He tried to draw his mother’s face. It didn’t translate well to paper, especially not in red. Tien looked over and gently put his hand on Chiaotzu’s drawing, resting his palm on the cheek of the face.

“Chaozu,” he said, and smiled a shy little smile that mended some of the cracks that had appeared in Chiaotzu’s heart.

“No, Tien, this is…” He hesitated then sighed. “This is my mother. She’s…gone…”

“Gone?” Tien frowned and looked down at the smiling face crudely drawn in thick red lines. Uncertainly he added, “Chaozu stay…?”

Chiaotzu felt tears sting and blinked them away. A flash of his mother’s face the last time he’d seen her passed through his mind and he smiled a wobbly smile.

“That’s right, Tien.” His hand covered the toddler’s, holding tight. “I’m here to stay. With you. I promise.”


	6. Bickering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 6th: Bickering - 200 words - What says love more than a heaping helping of belligerent sexual tension?
> 
> Shockingly enough, I did cut out the sexual tension bit. Doesn't really fit when your main characters are so little...

Chiaotzu only managed to stare up at the dark ceiling for an hour before the unsettled pit of his stomach forced him up out of bed. Tien was still snoring quietly, curled up in a tight ball on his side. His hands were covering his eyes even in the darkness, his crossed fingertips keeping his third eye safe while his palms cupped around his other two.

Chiaotzu pulled the blanket up, tucked it around the triclops’ shoulders. A gentle smile briefly surfaced from beneath his worried frown, but was gone before he turned and exited the room.

As he walked towards Shen’s room the unsettled feeling in his stomach solidified into something more concrete. Anger. Fury. A rage so deep and hot that it scared him to consider it.

He had never been so angry before.

The door was already open. As though he was expected. When he entered Shen was sitting at his desk, his chair angled so the deep lines of his face were obscured by shadow.

“Can I help you, Chiaotzu?”

“You sent us to train. You _knew_ that monster was out there. How could you?”

His anger made his voice shake. Tears burned in his eyes and blood rushed to fill his cheeks. He cursed the feeling, the powerlessness that it portrayed. He needed to be strong.

Shen shifted in his chair, but not out of discomfort. He leaned forward, his features thrown into sharp relief as he did, and Chiaotzu’s stomach clenched at the cold sneer that twisted them.

“You mean InoShikaCho? He’s hardly a monster, boy. He’s my pet and lives in the forest around here. You were in _his_ domain.”

“You _sent_ us there.” Chiaotzu’s hands trembled and he curled them into tight fists. “That monster tried to kill Tien!”

“And you saved him, I take it.” Shen’s eyes flashed. Chiaotzu had never seen his eyes before. The Crane Hermit was never without his dark glasses, and it was clear now why. His eyes were dark, small and shrewd. As they fixed on Chiaotzu’s face a terror so deep and vast that the telepath could hardly contain it immediately seized his stomach.

“Of course I saved him. I…” Chiaotzu faltered to a halt. The rage was subsiding, overtaken with fear. He had almost admitted aloud how important the toddler was to him. How much he loved the boy.

Shen sneered. Ice traced Chiaotzu’s spine, settling at the base of his skull. “Did you begin his training yet? Have you taught him any telepathy?”

Chiaotzu flushed, shrank into himself. “No, Master,” he said stiffly. “I haven’t found the right time.”

“Pity.” Shen leaned back into the shadows. Hands lifted and long, thin fingers steepled together. “Perhaps I need to take a more active hand in his training. He seems to be wasted under you.”

The anger flared again. And this time it was dry. Made his voice soft and deadly still, a cold centre of steel in his words.

“Don’t you fucking touch him.”


	7. Thrill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 7th: Thrill - 100 words - Escape scene!

There was a long silence following his words. Shen became very still. Chiaotzu glared at him, oval eyes blazing with fury. When Shen finally did move it was the slow, measured movements of a snake sizing up its prey.

“What did you just say?”

“I said that if you lay a hand on that boy’s head then you’ll regret it.”

They stared at each other. Chiaotzu’s hands unfurled and he started collecting his power in the cups of his palms. Shen was strong. Much stronger than him. But he only needed a lucky shot. And then…

Then what? Where could he go? What could he do? Shen and the Crane School was the only home he had known for a long time. The idea of turning away from it, of striking out alone… Where the hell had that come from!?

He clenched his fists. The power there flickered and returned to his centre. Blood, hot and shameful, rushed to fill his face and he lowered his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Master, I don’t know…”

“Get out of my sight.” Chiaotzu flinched as Shen flung out one hand. “If I see your pale little face in the near future I can _guarantee_ you will suffer.”

Chiaotzu hesitated for only a moment. A large part of him was crying out for him to make it better. To fix this awful mistake he had made. But when he lifted his eyes the barely restrained fury that warped Shen’s features burned into him. He turned and wordlessly ran from the room.

Bare feet on cold stone. Tears blurring his vision. He had never felt so helpless and small before. Shrunk to a fleeing wisp in the face of his master’s anger. He was so weak.

For Tien’s sake, he needed to make this better. Somehow.


	8. Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 8th: Need - 300 words - When your character needs them, they are there.

Chiaotzu burst into their room, his heart hammering high in his throat.

“Chaozu! Monster!”

Tien leapt at him, gripping tight to Chiaotzu’s pyjamas and burying his face into the telepath’s stomach.

“Tien?” Chiaotzu took a breath. “What’s wrong?”

“Monster!”

He wouldn’t say anything else. He _couldn’t_. Panic had gripped his young mind and wasn’t letting go. The cot was a no go. As soon as they drew near to it he began to wail again. With a soft sigh Chiaotzu hoisted the toddler up into his own bed and crawled up beside him.

“It’s okay, Tien. Shh, I’m here. I’ve got you. It’s safe.”

Tien didn’t calm down. He continued to wail and cry and clutch at Chiaotzu’s shirt, nestling close. Frustrated tears burned in Chiaotzu’s eyes and he wished again that his mother could be here. She had always been able to calm him down with just a gentle thought.

The bottom dropped out of Chiaotzu’s stomach. His mother had been so good at calming him down because she had already been in his head. When he had been small his psychic powers had been immense and totally uncontrolled. His mother, a powerful telepath in her own right, had had to infiltrate his mind and set up her own barriers to stop him hurting someone.

That was why he’d felt her loss so acutely. His mind had been completely private again for the first time in his memory.

He looked at Tien. The toddler had stopped crying but his breath was still coming in low gasps and his eyes were wide and staring blindly ahead. Panic wasn’t letting go. Chiaotzu had to save him.

Moving slowly and carefully so as not to frighten the toddler again, he leaned his forehead on Tien’s and linked their hands, fingers entwining together.

“It’s okay, Tien…” He hesitated. “Remember how I told you about…about my powers? About how I can talk to people from very far away?” Tien stared at him blankly, his eyes wide and unseeing. “I’m going to teach you, okay? It won’t hurt. I’ll never hurt you.”

The physical contact was a start. It meant the touch of his mind would hopefully not panic the boy further. Holding his breath, he reached out telepathically through the connection of their foreheads. Tien’s mind was thrumming with nervous energy, and the toddler was starting to hiccough with the intensity of his gasps.

Tentatively Chiaotzu touched the boy’s mind with his own. It recoiled, and Tien became very stiff in Chiaotzu’s arms.

 _It’s okay, Tien,_ Chiaotzu said telepathically. He kept his voice low and soft, kept the movements of his mind slow and gentle. He didn’t want to hurt Tien. That was the last thing he wanted.

“Chaozu,” Tien mumbled. His locked muscles loosened. The weight on Chiaotzu’s forehead increased as Tien leaned into him. “Love you.”

 _I love you too, Tien._ _Now our minds are linked. If you’re ever scared or worried or lonely you can reach out with your mind and I’ll be there. Okay?_

_Okay…_

Chiaotzu blinked. That had been a telepathic response, not a verbal one. Tien had a talent for telepathy it seemed. While lacking the raw psychic power that Chiaotzu possessed, it was still impressive he had caught on so quickly. Shen would be so proud.

A cold needle pierced the warm centre of his heart. No. This was fine. He could just pretend that Tien wasn’t catching on. That he was struggling with it. Shen wouldn’t test him, not now, not when he was so young. He’d be safe for now. That was all that mattered.


	9. Everywhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 9th: Everywhere - 100 words - This battle was a little bit... extra messy.

It had been a week since Chiaotzu had stood briefly up to Shen. A long, tense week. He had spent the whole time hiding in their room with Tien. They’d drawn pictures, they’d played cards. But mostly they’d explored Tien’s telepathic abilities, talking to each other, testing the boundaries of his psychic reach. The boy loved it. Every moment was like a game to him. Chiaotzu had been more cautious, warning him not to stretch his mind beyond the confines of their room, lest Shen catch on. 

But then their peace had been broken. Shen sent the message via his younger brother. Tao Pai Pai had knocked on their door, pulled Chiaotzu from the room, and wordlessly dragged him away from the confused toddler and away from the school.

It wasn’t until they were on their way that Tao finally spoke. His voice was cold and flat, empty of emotion, and totally matter of fact.

“You really fucked up.”

Chiaotzu flinched, drew his shoulders up around his ears. “I’m sorry, Master Tao,” he mumbled, flushing bright red. “I’ll make it up to Master Shen. I swear.”

“My brother has never been so furious. He considered killing you. He’s cooled off a little in the past week though, and has decided to give you another chance. We’re on our way now to your test.” A cold smirk spread over Tao’s face. “We’ve got a contract to fill. And you’re going to do it.”

Chiaotzu couldn’t find any words. He had never had to kill anyone before. It had been threatened, but Shen had clearly seen the fear and trepidation that had filled Chiaotzu at the very mention of it. Apparently it was the most severe punishment he could think of. 

“M-Master, I don’t think I can.”

“Nonsense, Chiaotzu. This is what my brother has been training you for. Your target is a man who has slandered the name of the Crane School. He has defamed your master as a murderer and a monster. You are going to set the record straight.”

Chiaotzu cast a disbelieving glance up towards Tao. “I’m going to set the record straight,” he repeated, dazed, “by murdering him.”

There was a short silence. Tao’s hand flung out, a sharp short blow that would have knocked Chiaotzu off his feet had the boy not managed somehow to dodge beneath it at the last moment. The assassin glared at him, but apparently decided it wasn’t worth the effort to swing again.

“Come along, boy. You’re going to kill him and you’re going to kill him the way _I_ tell you to, got it?”

“Yes, Master.”

The brief flash of adrenaline from successfully dodging a strike from Tao Pai Pai quickly dwindled until all that was left was a cold fear that pushed against his skin and wrapped around his spine.

They travelled in silence. When flight was required Tao pulled Chiaotzu around by his upper arm, wrenching his shoulder almost out of its socket. Winces pulled at Chiaotzu’s mouth, pain drew his brows together.

Eventually they reached a small hut hidden on a deserted coast. A man was working on a modest vegetable patch, his head covered by a large floppy cloth hat and his arms burnt to a bright, painful red. He had not been here for long. He was not accustomed to the sun. An icy finger traced Chiaotzu’s back as the realisation that he never would hit.

“Grab him.“

Chiaotzu reached out his hands, extending tentative bands of energy. Energy visible only to him, a light blue that crackled and sparked, wrapped around the man. Chiaotzu was aware that he had caught the bony prominences of the man’s body, not sinking into the soft unprotected areas. In a small way, he was almost protecting this target, making his last moments on earth a bit less painful.

All of the blood rushed out of the man’s face. Sweat broke out, adding a sickly sheen to the grey caste of his skin. He knew what was happening. He knew what came of those who spoke against the Crane.

Tao approached. Tears ran freely from the man’s eyes. His pleas fell on deaf ears. Without a word Tao turned and locked eyes with Chiaotzu.

_Finish him._

Chiaotzu’s hands started to tremble. His eyes filled with tears. The bands of power holding the man still tightened, formed a cacoon of telekinetic energy.

_M-Master, I can’t._

Tao’s eyes narrowed. Without looking he raised one hand and pointed at the man. His lips moved. A concentrated beam of fire escaped his fingertip. Chiaotzu could feel the heat even from this distance, and the power of it seemed to radiate back through his power and into his mind.

He drew back, gasping, hands balling into fists and eyes slitting against the brilliant flash of light. A terribly short anguished scream rang out. Through his narrow frame of vision he saw the man glow, like an ember, like a furnace, before the edges of his body started to crumble away until nothing remained. The light faded. Chiaotzu opened his eyes.

There wasn’t any blood. Only a blackened scorch marked the ground where their victim had been standing. He was just… gone… Turned to dust.

Nausea rose, pushed against Chiaotzu’s throat. Tao took a step forward, his face a mask of fury, and terror gripped the young telepath’s heart.

He’d really fucked up this time.


	10. Tactics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 10th: Tactics - 100 words - A coordinated strike on the enemy.

Tao approached. His fury was palpable. An oppressive aura that smothered the air from Chiaotzu’s lungs.

“Master, please _._ ” He was pleading. Begging. “I couldn’t... I’m sorry…”

Terror froze him in place. Tears blurred his vision and he was vaguely aware that he was trembling.

Images filled his mind. His life flashing before his eyes. And most prominent among them were the moments he had shared with Tien. The boy’s smile, his soft peals of laughter, the mischievous glint that lit up his three eyes when he was playing. These images filled his heart and caught in his soul. Filled him with a steely determination he hadn’t felt for a long time.

One hand lifted. Crackling bands of power wrapped tight around Tao’s frame, sinking deep into the soft unprotected parts of his body. Freezing the assassin in place.

“Let me go,” Tao said. Commanded. That same flat tone that had previously frightened Chiaotzu into submission now didn’t phase him in the slightest.

“No. You’re not going to hurt me. You’re going to listen.” Chiaotzu’s fingers twitched. A flinch crossed Tao’s features.

“I won’t repeat myself,” Tao said, then did anyway. “Let me go, Chiaotzu.” And had that been a tremble in his voice? The slightest variation in his usually flat tone? Chiaotzu thought it had been.

“I will soon. First you are going to understand how this is going to work. I’m not even trying. Do you understand? I’m barely using a _fraction_ of my full power. So from now on things are going to be very different.”

A flicker of movement drew his gaze. His eyes met those of a young woman. She was right behind Tao, short and slight, barely reaching the assassin’s shoulder. Teeth bared in a snarl. The flash of sun on metal. A short, vicious slash.

Tao didn’t make a sound. His eyes widened fractionally. A thin trickle of brilliant red marked the front of his surcoat and quickly became a flood. Chiaotzu drew back reflexively, his eyes widening and his mouth dropping open with shock. As his power flickered out Tao stumbled backwards, bumping heavily into the young woman before he collapsed onto the sand.

Chiaotzu took a short shuddering breath, covering his mouth. The woman spat on Tao’s body, then her face crumpled and she started to wail. “You killed him!” she screamed down at Tao. “He never did _anything_ to you!” The knife, stained red along its edge, fell from her hand. Her eyes turned and fixed on Chiaotzu.

“I’m sorry,” he said, instinctively. His heart broke at the pain and grief in her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I… He… I wasn’t…”

“I heard you,” she said, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotion. “You helped but…you didn’t want to, did you? _He_ forced you.” A hateful glance at the dead assassin. Chiaotzu started to tremble again, tears burning in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, his voice giving out completely. He dropped his head, scrubbed at his eyes. Then was surprised when she knelt in front of him and wrapped her arms around him.

“Run,” she whispered in his ear. The embrace was desperate. Seeking as well as bestowing comfort. “Run far and fast. Don’t look back. Don’t hesitate.”

She pulled away. Pressed a desperate kiss to his cheek. Then pushed him. He turned and ran. Had to get back to the Crane School. If he was lucky Shen wouldn’t know that Tao had been killed. If he was lucky he could string together a convincing lie.

If he was lucky he could get Tien out of there.


	11. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 11th: Sacrifice - Super Saturday word count - - pay an escalation cost for each add-on.  
> 400 words - To escape you must leave one of your own people behind to be captured by the enemy.  
> \+ 200 words - One of the escapees suffers from Heroic BSOD  
> \+ 200 words - Add a heaping helping of Finagle's Law  
> \+ 200 words - Everything ends up like this: http://i.imgur.com/Lw8lj3k.jpg

The door to the Crane School had never appeared so imposing. It seemed to stretch before him, the gateway to his worst nightmares. He had run until his legs had given out on him and he'd had to rest. The rest of the journey had been on trembling legs with cautious steps. The stinging abrasion up one forearm was hidden by his surcoat, the thick green cloth irritating his bleeding skin. Now, steeling himself, he pushed the door open. It swung easily and silently on well oiled hinges.

Shen was standing in the narrow entrance hall. His hands were folded in front of him and his cruel eyes were once again exposed. A sneer was pulling at his lips, twisting his features, and that cold thrill of fear traced Chiaotzu's spine again.

"Where have you been, Chiaotzu? I expected you back hours ago."

"I...I'm sorry, Master, I had to come back alone. Tao was..." A flash of memory. Bright red blood soaking into pink cloth. The acid taste of bile in the back of his throat. The tears and regret as he'd run. "Tao was held up..."

"I see." Shen tilted his head, a curious movement. "Pray tell, Chiaotzu, what was it that held my dear brother up? Was he, perchance, detained in some way?"

"Y-yes, Master." Chiaotzu fought the flush that tried to rise in his cheeks. Kept his mouth flat and his eyes blank. "He didn't tell me what he had to do. He said it was none of my concern."

That was good. Tao had said that often and about many things, sneering and looking down his crooked nose at the young telepath. That would make it seem more genuine.

"Do you have any idea where he's gone?"

"No, Master." Chiaotzu's eyes cut to the door behind Shen. That door led to the dormitories. To his room. To Tien. If he could get past this hurdle he would be able to get Tien and a few meagre belongings. He'd be able to get out. Get them both out. "With your permission, Master, I'm very tired from the journey. It's a long way to go without Tao's methods of travel. Could I perhaps go to bed? Please?"

"You don't want to talk to me?" Shen pouted, a grotesque parody of a hurt child. "I thought we were having a conversation."

"It is always good talking to you, Master," Chiaotzu said awkwardly. "But I am tired and need rest. We can debrief more in the morning?"

The door to the dormitories swung open. Chiaotzu's stomach dropped down to his toes.

"Chaozu!" Tien burst through the door. His eyes were sparkling with joy and his small hands were outstretched. "Chaozu home!"

Shen caught the boy's arm as Tien tried to duck around him. It was a gentle grip, his long fingers only just denting the smooth skin of Tien's arm, but the triclops halted instantly and looked up at Shen with absolutely no fear in his three, dark eyes.

"M-Master, I'm so sorry. I'll take him to bed. He's just...excited to see me..."

Shen didn't look at Tien. His eyes remained fixed on Chiaotzu, cold and calm.

"Chiaotzu, I couldn't help but notice that you did not refer to my brother by his proper title."

Terror surged afresh. Caught in Chiaotzu's throat. Made it impossible for him to form words. Everything he wanted to say sat in a lump in his chest, heavy and hot and painful.

"Master, please...I..."

"You know where my brother is. You know exactly where he is. You'd better tell me where Tao is, Chiaotzu."

"I don't know, he was... We were near the ocean and there was a town nearby... Maybe he went to find a tailor? Maybe he wanted to get his outfit fixed? It was...quite a messy assassination, Master." In this, at least, he was telling the truth. He shielded his mind as best he could, but was worried that the fear would leak through anyway. It was so hard when his emotions were so high.

Shen's eyes narrowed. His gaze burned into Chiaotzu's skin. He was so angry. He was beyond furious. It was terrifying.

"Get out," Shen said. Growled. "How _dare_ you try to lie to me? Your master? Your insolence will not be treated lightly, Chiaotzu. Now get out of my sight."

"Master..." Chiaotzu held out one hand, pleading. Again. "Please let go of Tien. Please."

"Chaozu?"

Tien's voice was small, hushed. His eyes when they met Chiaotzu’s were wide and frightened. So small. So innocent. And Shen’s hand was digging in deeper.

“Tienshinhan has promise. He could be a great fighter. But if you don’t leave right now I will kill him. Your little brother.” A cold shock, like being dunked in ice water.

“Chaozu…?” Tien reached out his other hand. Not desperate, not yet. His eyes were confused and the sight of him like this broke Chiaotzu’s heart. But the telepath did not allow this emotion to show on his face. If he did then Tien would start to cry, and then they’d both be in real trouble.

“I’m sorry, Master,” Chiaotzu said, but his eyes were fixed on his brother. Their minds met in the space between them and Tien’s curled desperately around him. “I’m so sorry.”

He turned. The door loomed again. He pushed through and pulled his mind away from Tien’s. At that separation the boy started to cry.

“Chaozu, stay! Chaozu, _stay!!_ ”

Chiaotzu managed to keep his tears at bay, managed to restrain the sobs that built in his chest. Shen was proud and cruel. If Chiaotzu showed the slightest hint of his pain then Tien would pay. As it was the toddler would be punished. He would learn quickly that such displays were not the way of the Crane. Hopefully he would learn before the punishments became too severe.

That thought, the possibility that this was the last time he would ever see his brother, overwhelmed him. As the door swung silently shut behind him, he allowed the grief to rise. He ran into the forest, wailing and sobbing. Stumbling over tree roots and scraping past rough trunks, desperately trying to get away from that terrible thought. Turning away from the mountains he started to head down into the valley, towards the river.

Anger started to build. A vicious biting rage at his own weakness and indecision. Blindly, he raised one hand and fired a Dodonpa into the air. It was the only thing he'd needed to do. If he had killed that man then everything would be fine.

But that wasn't true. If he had done as his master had commanded then he would still be under their control. And Tien… he would still be with his brother…

It was all too much. His legs buckled, sending him sprawling on the hard ground. His eyes stared ahead, wide and unseeing. The bright flash of his Dodon ray had shot between the trees and exploded flame in the distance. The dry pines caught and soon the air was full of acrid smoke and gently floating embers.

Chiaotzu didn't care. His mind shorted out and instead he just lay motionless, waiting patiently for the flames to reach him.

A flash of purple. A curious huffing breath on his cheek. The sight of huge yellow fangs taking up his field of vision, before the creature gently gripped his collar, lifted him, and carried him to the river. Icy water soaking his clothes, a stark contrast to the hot dry air blowing hard against his face, surprising a shuddering gasp from him. The same monster who had tried so hard to attack Tien that short time ago now carried Chiaotzu to safety as he sobbed and the forest lining the bank glowed with angry red flames.


	12. Arcadian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 12th: Arcadian - 100 words - A break, some down time, a moment of peace.

The air smelt of warm earth, bitter pine and damp grass. A thin scent of acrid smoke lingered beneath these stronger smell. When Chiaotzu finally opened his eyes the first thing he saw was a flower, thin strands of bright pink forming an almost perfect sphere. He frowned and pushed himself upright.

Everything hurt. A quick check of his limbs confirmed that there were no visible injuries, but the ache continued nonetheless. He lifted his eyes, observed his surroundings. He had no idea where he was. He was lying in long grass that had been broken and trampled and nosed into a makeshift nest. A pool of deep blue water was rippling and churning under the force of a waterfall. The mountain range that had broken up the horizon for as long as he could remember was now nowhere to be seen.

He looked up at the sky. Blue and bright and marked by a thin trail of smoke to his left. Good. The Crane School was not far away. He could still get back. He could fix this.

Heavy lumbering footsteps approached. Chiaotzu sank into himself, making himself as small as possible, trying to hide. The hulking shape of the monster appeared from the trees. Yellow eyes gleamed in the shadow. And as Chiaotzu lay frozen with fear the monster bounded into the clearing towards him, fangs bared in a…smile?

Chiaotzu uncertainly raised one hand and the beast nosed his palm, closing its eyes. Bristly purple fur tickled his skin and made a soft involuntary laugh leave his lips.

“You saved me,” he said, his voice distant and vague as the creature’s broad snout buried into his hand and hot breath snuffled against his skin. “Why?”

A short knowing look and then it moved closer and curled its long side around Chiaotzu. Keeping him warm. Safe. Secure.

What had Shen called it? The name was odd and skirted around the edges of his memory. Inaco? Inashako? 

“Ina…she…ka…” His forehead creased as he frowned. “Cho?” It lifted its head, yellow eyes meeting his. “InoShikaCho?”

InoShikaCho snuffled and pressed his snout against Chiaotzu’s arm. The telepath ran one small white hand along the broad purple flank. The ridges of scars caught at his fingertips and spelled out a story of pain and fear. InoShikaCho growled softly, a warning noise that rumbled against Chiaotzu’s back. Without thinking the boy murmured a soothing word, a gentle reassurance.

“You were trapped too, huh? It’s okay, Ino. We’re out now. He can’t hurt us anymore.”

InoShikaCho lay his head back down and huffed a short agreement. Chiaotzu leaned back against the beast’s side and looked up at that thin trail of smoke. That odd steely determination was back. It made his eyes cold and the writhing tangle of anxiety within him still. He couldn't go back.

“Don’t forget me, Tien,” he said softly. “I’m going to come back for you. I’ll bust you out of there if it’s the last thing I do. I promise.”


	13. The Breach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 13th: The Breach - 100 words - Image prompt! XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have used an alternative definition of the word 'breach' since I could not (for love nor money) make this image prompt fit. Forgive me, Ato!

Chiaotzu had decided that he couldn’t risk storming the Crane School to get Tien back. Not for a while at least. Shen would be on high alert. Chiaotzu needed to lay low, let the ripples settle. Let Shen think he’d won.

He also had to get the hell away from the Crane School. The pine forests that stretched around in every direction had initially seemed like a fairly safe bet, but after a few weeks he had grown tired of waiting on edge, sleeping with one eye open. Of being constantly afraid that Shen’s cold voice would fill his ears, that a bony gnarled hand would grasp his arm. 

InoShikaCho, despite the scars and the fear and the pain, had taken a lot of convincing to move on. It had been weeks of gentle coaxing before Chiaotzu had managed to get the beast to leave the forest and start heading south. They travelled in the early hours and the evenings, generally sleeping restlessly through the steadily hotter midday hours.

The pine forest had given way to rolling farmland and then to grassy ledges broken up by craggy cliffs. Far in the distance these ledges evened out and softened into sandy dunes, shimmering under the hot sun.

As they trudged through this uneven jagged landscape Chiaotzu looked around desperately for somewhere they could rest. There didn't seem to be a single tree, a single outcropping that they could shelter under. And the sun was beginning to burn his delicate white skin.

“We need to find somewhere to stop, Ino,” he said. “Before the sun gets too high.”Ino grunted in acknowledgement. His delicate butterfly wings lay limply on his broad back, almost wilted from the heat. They climbed down another irregular step in the landscape, Chiaotzu gently grabbing Ino with his power to help prevent falls. And there, in the corner of his eye, lay a dark slash in the bright sandy coloured stone.

“Wait here, Ino.”

InoShikaCho didn't argue, just lay on the ground and sheltered his snout beneath his forelegs. Chiaotzu approached the dark line which opened into an uneven breach in the stone. A trickle of cool air met his face as he leaned towards it. He poked his head in, breathing deeply, trying to scent out if anything else called this cavern home. All he could smell was dry stone. The air was clear, not musty or dark with the smell of animals. He could clearly see another series of fine cracks at the far end of this cave through which light filtered.

“Ino! Come here, I found something!”

Ino huffed, a short frustrated sound, but pulled himself up and trotted over. At the first whiff of cool air, however, he shouldered past Chiaotzu and into the dark. Chiaotzu followed cautiously, pausing to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness, and found himself standing in a surprisingly spacious cave.

Ino had already lain flat on the sandy floor, recovering from the heat. It was smooth and even, stepping naturally between levels mirroring the landscape they had been climbing down all day. There was a trickling sound of water deep in the cave, gently rippling off the walls. It was beautiful in its simplicity.

This was definitely liveable. It was safe and secluded and hidden. It was far enough from the Crane School to be outside of Shen’s radar, but still close enough that he could keep a quiet psychic watch on their comings and goings.

A smile relaxed his features. He would lay low for now. But he was going to get Tien back. One day.


	14. True Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 14th: True Love - 300 words - Your character's love for a person/thing knows no bounds. It is purer than a mountain stream and more beautiful than a supernova.

The cave was a good home. It had kept them safe and secure over the years. However many it had been. It was hard to be completely sure.

Chiaotzu stared up into the darkness, fiddling with the hems of his sleeves. The heavy green cloth had become thin and worn over time. He would have to throw it out soon. It was a shame in a way.

Lying in the dark, staring at the silvery glimmer of the moon from the narrow crack of the cave entrance, Chiaotzu’s mind started to wander. His eyes became unfocused and his body relaxed. His telepathy, visible to him as a shining blue net, stretched far beyond the cave walls.

He did this fairly often. It was meditation in a way, training in another. Honing his powers, testing the limits of his energy. How far could he go? He had often approached the Crane School but had always shied away before he got too close. He didn’t want to know what he’d find.

Now, for the first time, he met another wandering mind. It started as a gentle touch on the edge of his mind, a poking sensation that almost shocked him into retreating. Instead his energy hardened, formed spikes, tried to protect itself. The other energy was clumsy and awkward, moving with clear overconfidence in their abilities. Hope, an odd bubble of warmth, started to grow in the pit of his stomach.

With concerted effort he softened the edge of his mind, made sure his movements were slow and gentle. Then he reached out, kept his telepathic voice cautious. _Hello._

 _Who are you?_ a small high voice demanded. It echoed through Chiaotzu’s mind and caught in his chest. Tears stung his eyes and blurred his vision.

 _I’m Chiaotzu. Who are you?_ It was all he could do to stop his telepathic voice from shaking.

_I’m Tienshinhan, of the Tsuru’sennin School of martial arts._

Tien sounded so proud, so pleased with himself. All of the fear and worry that had accumulated over the years, the terror that his little brother would say something or do something that would enrage Shen. That Shen would go too far, that his rage would outweigh the boy’s potential.

 _Do I know you from somewhere?_ Tien asked, and the bubble of hope burst. _I’ve sensed you around the school before but you always go away. Why?_

 _I’m scared I guess…_ Chiaotzu grabbed his elbows, hugging himself tightly. Ino, perhaps sensing his distress, rolled over and delicately nudged his snout beneath one of Chiaotzu’s hands.

 _Are…_ Tien’s formerly confident voice softened, became uncertain. _Are you a ghost?_

More tears. Another catch in his chest. A painful flutter of his heart. _Why would you ask that, Tien?_

 _I dunno… Coz you feel safe and I don’t know why. Coz it feels like we’ve been here before._ A short silence. _Even your name… It’s like I’ve met you before in a dream…_

A slanted smile pulled at Chiaotzu’s mouth even as tears ran down his temples. _Maybe we have met before,_ he sent, thought, whispered. _If we had…I’d have missed you, Tien… Are you okay?_

There was a long pause. Just long enough for Chiaotzu to start worrying that he’d offended the boy, before Tien said awkwardly, _My arm hurts…_

A cold fist gripped Chiaotzu’s heart. _You arm? What happened to your arm?_

_Nothing. It just hurts when it rains. There’s a storm coming in…_

Chiaotzu closed his eyes. He could still remember the vicious storms that lashed the forest surrounding the Crane School. The brilliant flashes of lightning that left glowing afterimages before his vision. The thunder that followed would crash and rattle the frame of the dormitories before trailing off to a rumble that was echoed in the trembling of the toddler who would crawl up into the bed and curl up by his side.

 _I don’t like the thunder,_ Tien said, as though he could see the memory.

 _The storm will pass,_ Chiaotzu said. He opened his eyes and looked out of the cracks in the cave. Bright twinkling stars and the barest sliver of moon. Not a cloud in sight.

_Can…can you stay here? Until I go to sleep? It’s…nice talking to you…_

Chiaotzu smiled, a soft, wistful smile. One hand shifted, gripped his skin in a hard pinch. At the sharp pain his smile widened and tears flowed freely. It wasn’t a dream. His little brother, reaching out, asking him not to go.

_Of course, Tien. I won’t go anywhere._

Their minds entwined, a distant embrace, reimprinting on each other. Tien’s mind was familiar and different at the same time. Grown from the impressionable toddler to a curious boy. Strength and a steely core of determination had formed since he’d been banished. And Chiaotzu was so glad.


	15. Foldable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 15th: Foldable - 100 words - No one's battlegear would be complete without a nifty weapon!
> 
> A brief interlude.

Chiaotzu examined the crowbar in his hands. It was heavy, solidly wrought iron with a wicked curved hook at the end.

“I don’t know how practical it’ll be,” he said to the eager shop assistant, swinging it experimentally. The vicious points sliced easily through the air. “I wasn’t really looking for…”

“Oh, it’s _very_ practical,” the assistant cut across him. “You can use it to crack open difficult crates. You can use it as a weapon to protect yourself!”

“Protect myself? Against what?”

Chiaotzu swung the crowbar again. It was fun to swing. The weight pulled at his arms and the hook caught the air to make a soft whooshing noise. Of course, all the functions she’d described so far he could do well _without_ this heavy, expensive chunk of metal. But she didn’t need to know that.

“Sir, if you would hand it back?” Chiaotzu raised his eyebrows slightly ( _Sir? Really?_ ) but dutifully handed it back to her. She grinned and lifted it easily. “This is a masterpiece of design, sir. See.”

She pressed at the base of the hook and a small saw toothed blade unfolded. Another press, an almost absurdly delicate pair of scissors. Yet another and somehow the curved spiral of a corkscrew appeared. With each press more and more tools thinned out the apparently solid form of the crowbar. A screwdriver. A pair of tweezers. A pair of pliers. A series of knives, from short and stocky to a long razor thin blade. And finally a small thin toothpick.

Chiaotzu gaped, open mouthed, as she easily wielded the sunburst of gleaming metal tools, spinning it and grinning.

“So you see, sir, this is a very _useful_ and _valuable_ tool. As well as a weapon.”

“You keep mentioning weapon,” Chiaotzu said, but he couldn’t help the smile that touched his lips. “Why is that?”

Her smile faded a little. “You…are from the Tsurusen’nin school, aren’t you?”

He didn’t even hesitate. His smile didn’t slip. He shook his head. “Never heard of it. I will take this crowbar though. And some chef’s knives if you have any.”

Her smile returned, her eyes lit up, she pulled a roll of different sized kitchen knives from beneath the counter. Chiaotzu picked his favourites and paid for them, tucking them into a bag he’d fashioned from the worn cloth of the Crane School surcoat. This had been a productive outing.


End file.
